Sunday, 5 July 2026

Lions, Lobsters, and Dragons? Oh My!

The SPHL has been around since 2004, and they've done a fairly good job at making hockey in non-traditional southern US markets affordable while giving players a springboard into professional hockey. I don't know how long they'll last based on how hockey is going, but the league has announced that its team membership will grow from ten to thirteen teams by 2027 thanks to teams switching leagues and an expansion franchise. As we know, the profit margins on minor-professional hockey tams are small - and negative when if a team loses - so seeing the SPHL growing in their corner of the North American map is encouraging for those thirteen communities.

Before we get into who is joining, the SPHL is currently made up of nine teams in Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, and Virginia, so bus rides can be long for some road trips. The three new franchises will add teams in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, so the map gets a little bigger, but it also makes the map a little easier to naviagte for road trips as these three teams give better options for playing two teams in a weekend instead of just playing a baseball-like three-game series against one team.

Announced back on May 13, the SPHL welcomed the Athens Rock Lobsters into the fold as the former Federal Prospects Hockey League team will make the jump to the SPHL starting next season. The Rock Lobsters joined the FPHL in 2024 where, in two seasons, they compiled a record of 87-21-4 as one of the top teams in the FPHL in both seasons. They averaged 4486 fans per game last season, making them one of the more profitable FPHL teams, so it was clear their owners were looking for a greater challenge. Making the jump from the FPHL to the SPHL seemed like the logical choice, and the nearby Macon Mayhem will finally have a natural, in-state rival with the Rock Lobsters.

"This move simply makes sense from both a competitive and operational standpoint," Todd Mackin, President of Spire Holdings who owns the Rock Lobsters, said back on May 13. “Athens has proven in just two seasons that it is a tremendous hockey market. The fan support, the energy inside Akins Ford Arena, and the organization's commitment to innovation in game presentation have helped create one of the best experiences in minor professional hockey. We're excited to continue building on that momentum and delivering an incredible atmosphere for fans throughout Northeast Georgia."

Honestly, I have no qualms about the Rock Lobsters seeking out better competition as long they don't one-and-done this. I have full confidence they won't, so as long as the Spire Holdings group is willing to pay a little more for the SPHL's increased costs, I'm all for giving the Athens Rock Lobsters a shot at the SPHL level.

Joining the Rock Lobsters from the FPHL in the SPHL will be the Pee Dee IceCats, based in Florence, South Carolina. Announced on June 24, the IceCats had been conditionally accepted into the SPHL fold on May 30 before it was made official at the end of June. This won't be Florence's first time in the SPHL as the Pee Dee Cyclones played in the SPHL from 2005-07. Florence has hockey fans as 4763 fans came out to support the IceCats on average, and they're located just south of Fayetteville in North Carolina, giving the Marksman a natural rivalry between the two Carolina states. The reason for them leaving the FPHL for the SPHL seems a little more tenuous than Athens' reason for their jump.

While no one is saying anything out loud, it seems the owners of the Pee Dee IceCats were unhappy with the FPHL's expansion into the California cities of Fresno and Stockton (which will be covered on HBIC shortly). There are rumours of unprofessional behaviours between team and league executives at league meetings, accusations about improper ownership paperwork, and more, but it sounds like the owners of the IceCats looked at everything and decided to make their exit from the FPHL at this time, following Athens to the SPHL.

I'm not picking sides here, but Pee Dee's inclusion into the SPHL adds another strong minor-pro hockey maket. The IceCats set the FPHL single-game record for the 2025-26 season with 7837 fans showing up to see them beat the Athens Rock Lobsters 5-1 in January, they clearly have a solid rivalry with the Rock Lobsters after sweeping them out of the playoffs last season, and it appears their owners are committed to putting a winning product on the ice. That's the kind of commitment the SPHL needs from its franchises to remain strong.

While the league will push ahead with twelve teams next season, a thirteenth team is set to arrive in 2027 and it's a team that already had stakes in its community. The city of Mobile, Alabama will play home to the Mobile Mysticks hockey team as the expansion frachise gets itself setup for business over the next year. Owned by the Zawyer Group who has been moving minor-pro hockey teams into all sorts of communities in the southeast corner of the United States, the Mysticks will wear the logo seen to the left while sporting green, purple, and yellow in their colour scheme. Unveiled on June 16, the new SPHL franchise stated that the name was chosen with extensive community input including "a public naming process that generated more than 2,000 entries."

"I could not be more excited that Mobile's newest professional sports franchise will go by a familiar name - the Mysticks!" Mobile mayor Spiro Cheriogotis told Erica Thomas of 1819news.com, referencing the ECHL franchise that called the Alabama city home from 1995–2002. "This is incredible for our city, for the new Regions Arena and for local sports fans. I can't wait for the puck to drop. Go Mysticks!"

I've written about the Zawyer Group's growing hockey empire before, and it seems like their group of investors have no issues with dropping teams into cities if offered. The tough part about the ECHL Mysticks is that each year saw their attendance drop, a unpleasant trend for franchise owners. I suspect that if the SPHL Mysticks can find fun promotions and build a winning hockey team, the new Mysticks will likely be a part of Mobile's sports scene for a long time.

For a league that doesn't generate a ton of revenue, having three teams join in two seasons means that costs will go up for the other ten teams as there will be more bus trips to new destinations, more hotel stays, and more gameday meals on the road. It shouldb't be lost on anyone, though, that these teams have good arena sizes, their owners are motivated to succeed, and they have fanbases who are looking for better hockey. With tickets being less than $35 in all thirteen SPHL cities, it's fun, affordable hockey for everyone!

Five teams have won the SPHL championship since 2018, so increasing the number of teams will give more players a chance to play and, potentially, more teams a chance to win. I'm not saying that any of Athens, Pee Dee, or Mobile will win in their first seasons, but, assuming the Rock Lobsters and IceCats continue their efforts to put the best teams they can on the ice, the level of competition should rise in the SPHL. That's good for everyone in the SPHL, and that's how the SPHL can remain viable and profitable for years to come.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Saturday, 4 July 2026

This Is Why No One Likes You

I completely understand that there's a lack of news in the hockey world in the days immediately following the NHL Entry Draft and the beginning of free agency. Unless someone makes a big trade or does something dramatic with a contract offer, there really isn't anything newsworthy about which sports reporters can write. That includes the headline shown above that was posted on Sportsnet because who cares what number Gavin McKenna wears?

Everyone believes that McKenna will be a game-changer for the Maple Leafs next season, and I'm not here to debate that. He has a unique set of skills and talents that can make the players around him better as we've seen with Medicine Hat and with Penn State, and the Maple Leafs will need to maximize those skills in order for them to be successful. This seems obvious, but it doesn't make it any less true.

Does it matter what number he wears on his back if this happens?

I get that people have already bought Maple Leafs jerseys with McKenna and #72 on the back, and I don't fault those fans for being excited at the thought of Gavin McKenna leading their team to the promised land. Every season, though, there a number changes for players depending on their circumstances, and it pays to wait to see what numbers will be worn once the season starts. There a chance, albeit slimmer than a sheet of paper, that McKenna doesn't make the Maple Leafs out of camp, and that headline would be all for naught.

Again, though, this number change isn't news. It's a social media posting at the very best, and the fact that Sportsnet paid someone to write seven paragraphs and 175 words on the subject is why a lot of people dislike the Toronto-centric coverage we're force-fed in Canada. I didn't see an article about what number Kappo Kahkonen will wear in Montreal or what number Jamie Oleksiak will wear in Vancouver, so why are we dedicating a staff member to write about Gavin McKenna who has yet to take a shift or attend an NHL camp?

Don't think this about McKenna, either. I hope the kid has a big season because hockey is always more fun when Canadian teams do well, and I hope he thrives in his new #92 jersey. Frankly, he could wear any number he wants as long as he shows up to play the way everyone hopes he can, and that number change still won't have any impact on what he's doing to help the Maple Leafs win. If the kid wore a smiley face on the back of his jersey, it would not matter nor would it be news. Why this was given any coverage is baffling.

This is why people dislike Rogers Sportsnet. They have done irreparable damage to the game in Canada with their greed, they have not made the on-screen product better in any way, and their ownership of the Maple Leafs means we'll likely see more news stories posted on their website and covered on their networks that aren't newsworthy. There are ten provinces, three territories, and countless hockey teams across Canada with great stories that can be told, and Rogers Sportsnet inexplicably had someone write up and post a story on Gavin McKenna getting a new number.

This is why no one likes you, Rogers Sportsnet. Get used to it.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Friday, 3 July 2026

TBC: Book Of Jerseys

If there's one thing that piques my interest in the hockey world, it's the fashion and design that goes into jerseys. Call them what you want - jerseys, sweaters, tarps, whatever - but the colours and designs used by teams become the identity of that franchise. Think of the Fisherman's legacy when it comes to the New York Islanders or how the bleu-blanc-et-rouge is synonymous with the Montreal Canadiens. It's those team identities that fans embrace when cheering for their favorite teams, so finding collections of amazing jerseys is always a treat. In saying that, Teebz's Book Club had a chance to review the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys, written by Steve Milton and published by Firefly Book, and their collection of jerseys might be unparalleled for the number of teams and leagues it covers!

From the 49thshelf.com website, "Steve Milton has over forty years' experience as a sportswriter and writes for the Hamilton Spectator. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and has been both a Gemini and National Newspaper Award finalist. He is the author of more than twenty books and is a member of both the Skate Canada Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario." It should be noted that Milton retired from the Hamilton Spectator in 2023 after 38 years at the newspaper, and now spends his summers covering the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and FC Forge as a Multiplatform Columnist for Hamilton Sports Group, writing for both club's websites while lending his expertise to the Ticats Audio Network and the Forge Audio Network. He has also appeared on various programs for CTV and TSN in his career where he provided sports coverage, and he also wrote for The Sporting News.

I'll be honest when I say I did very little reading when I first went through the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys. The pictures of some of the jerseys are amazing in showing details like puck marks and holes when it comes to how beat up these integral pieces of the uniform get, but it was downright amazing to see jerseys that I had never seen before. Brian Leetch's jersey from the Cheshire High School Rams, Rod Langway's jersey from the Randolph High School Blue Devils, and Harry Howell's WHA jersey from the New York Golden Blades were all featured in the first section of legendary players, and I had never seen these jerseys in such vivid colour and resolution!

The international section of jerseys in the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys is a treasure trove of amazing images. Jörgen Jönsson's Färjestads BK jersey from the 1998 Spengler Cup is a gorgeous artifact, Constant Priondolo's jersey from Italy's Alleghe Sile Caldaie has an interesting story to it, and Cammi Granato's jersey from the NWHL's Vancouver Griffins is a sight to behold! Each jersey displayed in the book comes with a write-up about the player who wore the jersey, giving some insight on the career of the player whose jersey is part of the Hockey Hall of Fame. For some of the lesser-known players, it was very interesting to learn about their careers!

The section in the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys about all-star game jerseys has tidbits of information from the NHL All-Star Games that are featured, but it's the minor-league and junior all-star game jerseys where there are some gems. The "Champions" section is loaded with interesting jerseys, but it's the "Hockey Hodgepodge" section that captured my attention. There are many interesting sweaters in this section that probably could have had their own books such as the Edmonton Flyers, the Riverdale Skeeters, the Des Moines Oak Leafs, and the Preston Rivulettes! This book is filled with history!

One of the interesting bits of history came from the All-Star Game section where it seems that the NHL was helping other leagues by giving them their old jerseys! Milton wrote of the 1972 NHL All-Star Game jerseys and the Robbie Irons' 1973 IHL All-Star Game jersey,
"Irons' IHL All-Star sweater is of the same vintage and style as Ed Giacomin's NHL Eastern Conference All-Star sweater, a design that the NHL had used for several years, ending in 1972."
Could you imagine the NHL sending their old jerseys to the AHL or ECHL today when they changed designs? I completely understand the IHL not having piles of money to outfit their all-stars every year back in the early-1970s, but to wear another league's sweaters seems a little crazy. Of course, hockey at both levels was all sorts of crazy back in the 1970s so maybe I shouldn't be all that surprised that this sort of clothing swap happened. If I hadn't read the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys, I wouldn't have known about this fact!

Overall, the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys is a feast for the eyes when it comes to all the jerseys shown on its 192 pages. I would have liked to have seen more information about the jerseys and that part of their careers pertaining to those players who wore them, but there's enough information about a number of players that I didn't know to make the profiles worth it. Because of the great pictures, the chosen jerseys and the historical nature of those jerseys, and the info about the players, the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys certainly deserves the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

The Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys was released on August 30, 2012, so copies of the book should be available at libraries and local bookstores. The book is easy to read with no crass language and zero controversial stories, and the sections are filled with amazing images with each two-page set having a photo and a write-up, making the book easy to put down if one needs a break. In saying that, I read the Hockey Hall of Fame Book of Jerseys very quickly because of its easy-to-read nature, and it is absolutely recommended for all hockey fans, especially those who love hockey jerseys and hockey history!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Thursday, 2 July 2026

The Hockey Show - Episode 719

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, returns tonight with a studio full of guests! It's not a CBS soundstage with a live studio audience or anything, but tonight will see Survivor: NHL Playoffs wrapped up as Michaela, along with two guests, join us at the UMFM offices to collect prizes, talk hockey, and have a few laughs! It should be a good chat with 2026 Survivor champ Michaela and her guests as they'll spend the full hour with us talking hockey on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason welcome Michaela and her guests to the show where we'll award her the jersey of her choice and all the other associated prizes worthy of a Survivor: NHL Playoffs champion. We'll talk to her about cheering for the Hurricanes, who she may have been cheering for other than her chosen team, and whether or not beating her dad, Colin, has caused problems at home. Beyond that chat and laughter, the group will look at how the Winnipeg Jets did when it comes to free agency and the draft, whether or not Connor Hellebuyck starts the season in Winnipeg, the Vancouver Giants being on the move, European hockey news, and some rule changes in the WHL and SPHL that should be adopted by other leagues. It's going to be a fun show with Survivor champion Michaela and her guests, so make sure your listening to The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason meet Michaela, shower her with prizes, talk hockey, have some laughs, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: July 2, 2026: Episode 719

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

2026 Stellar Recruits

If you're looking at the image to the left and thinking "that looks like an eye", you're looking at the Helix Nebula which is nicknamed the "Eye of God" or "Eye of Sauron" due to its shape! The nebula gets its eye-like shape from the glowing, gaseous remains of a dying star that has begun shedding its outer layers into space. Frankly, it looks awesome, but it's appropriate today because you're going to want to keep your eye on the following players listed below. Today, I present to you the 2026-27 recruits for each Canada West women's hockey team with my thoughts on the incoming class!

I spent a lot of time digging around social media and looking over websites as I collected names and information about the players joining Canada West's nine teams. It took a while, but here we are today. I'm not going to waste any further time, so here are all the known or announced players joining the nine Canada West teams!

Canada West Recruits

Alberta Pandas
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Cassia Severin
Edge
AB
F 4 14
Samantha Baker
Edge
AB
F 8 23
Saya Earl
Delta
BC
F 4 7
Hudson Bradley
Balmoral Hall
MB
D 8 14
Elise Miller
North Shore
BC
F 11 23
Sarah McNabb
Battleford
SK
F 10 13
Daniella Martorana
Merrimack (NCAA)
MA
F 0 0
Scarlett Jones
Toronto (OUA)
ON
F 1 1
Jaylah Bottle
Ottawa (OUA)
ON
D 0 0

The Alberta Pandas recruited a pile of players long before Howie Draper announced his retirement, so I assume that this class will be the last of his era running the Pandas. With interim head coach Leah Copeland taking over, I would expect a similar brand of tenacious hockey that she played when suiting up for the Pandas, but don't expect her to replicate Howie's style. She has some high-end talent coming in along with a few players who have suited up at the university level elsewhere. Alberta's in a bit of a rebuild, but I expect them to still be a solid team as everyone settles in. Once again, the Pandas should be a playoff team in their temporary home in Nisku.

Calgary Dinos
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Madison Batch
Delta
BC
D 3 25
Brooklyn Blomquist
RINK Kelowna
BC
F 4 9
Katelyn Marshall
Regina
SK
F 9 11

The Calgary Dinos are playing their cards close to their chests when it comes to recruiting. I know this can't be the entire class they're bringing in, but they haven't posted their recruit information anywhere that I could find or have seen. In saying this, the three recruits listed above are solid, and they will contribute for head coach Josh Gosling. Calgary's going to have to battle after some of their veterans graduated, but they'll be a handful for any opponent this season. The Dinos could still have a number of weapons they haven't announced, so we'll have to see who lands in Calgary.

MacEwan Griffins
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Olivia Stewart
Red Deer
AB
D 3 4
Sawyer McKay
Lloydminster
AB
F 5 8
Peyton Mages
North Shore
BC
D 10 16
Tristan Todosichuk
Weyburn
SK
F 10 10
Shannon MacLeod
Calgary
AB
F 1 2
Haley Braun
OHA Mavericks
ON
F 12 10
Vayda Rigaux
Eastman
MB
D 8 17
Delainey Rigaux
Eastman
MB
F 25 16
Mya Magowan
Calgary
AB
F 2 3
Paige Smith
Bemidji (NCAA)
MN
F 0 1

The MacEwan Griffins will get a fresh start after Chris Leeming was replaced by interim head coach Izzy Cropper, and this recruiting class should give them a little more firepower and a little more tenacity on the ice. Cropper served as an assistant coach for the last two years, so she's going to have to find ways to get this squad to push the puck up the ice without abandoning their netminders. I like the scoring and grittiness in these new recruits, so we'll see if they can be the spark for the new-look Griffins this year as they get back on track.

Manitoba Bisons
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Addilyn Nohlgren
Winnipeg Avros
MB
F 5 21
Braya Kapusta
Winnipeg Avros
MB
F 23 12
Kadence Fleece
Calgary
AB
D 1 2
Brynn Hannula
Lovell
MA
F 11 20
Oda Austefjord
Stavanger
NO
D 3 33
Jamie Hensch
Lloydminster
AB
D 1 6
Addison Greve
Mt. Academy
PE
F 4 8

The first recruiting class done by Jordan Colliton and her team have some high-end talent joining the Herd. I'm curious to see how Oda Austefjord jumps into the team because she was excellent in Norway, and Colliton has seen other Norwegian defenders thrive in Canada West. That being said, the Bisons get a number of solid additions to their forward group that should make the attack that much more lethal. If the Herd are looking to build on their showing at Nationals this year, this class of recruits should help them do that.

Mount Royal Cougars
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Castilla Rubin
North Shore
BC
F 8 9
Ayden Kehrig
Battleford
SK
D 2 11
Peyton Carter
OHA Edmonton
AB
F 8 13
Danelle Steffen
Saskatoon
SK
D 9 10
Skylar Heinrichs
Lloydminster
AB
F 11 5

If there's one thing that head coach Scott Rivett gets with his recruits, it's talent and work ethic. All of his recruits will continue that trend for the Cougars this season, and I suspect we'll see the Cougars pushing for the top of their division. I am surprised that there isn't a Manitoban in Scott's recruits this year as he always seems to have one, but these five players will continue to keep the Cougars as one of the best teams in Canada West and across Canada.

Regina Cougars
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Summer Grenier
Edmonton
AB
F 5 14
Ivy Perkin
Westman
MB
F 26 34
Isabelle Luttmerding
Calgary
AB
F 10 6
Darby Marshall
Regina
SK
D 7 6
Aliyah Teixeira
Winnipeg Ice
MB
D 5 13
Aldawna Evers
Edmonton
AB
G 1.70 .921
Raela Packet
Swift Current
SK
F 11 19
Jade Pelland
OHA Mavericks
ON
F 7 13
Amy Dvernichuk
St. Thomas
NS
F 3 9

Head coach Brandy West-McMaster did a superb recruiting job with her class this season, bringing in fantastic scoring and solid defenders who will look to push the Cougars to new heights. Recruiting a third goalie was needed, but I don't know what West-McMaster has in store for them when it comes to playing time. What I do know is her team will benefit from these players' talents as there are a lot of solid additions to the Regina lineup. The Cougars could be scary good.

Saskatchewan Huskies
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Reese Dyky
Saskatoon
SK
D 2 11
Anna Benoit
Regina
SK
F 10 9
Addison Tomes
Eastman
MB
G 0.81 .958
Cambree Legge
Saskatoon
SK
F 3 5
Reese Overton
N. Capitals
BC
F 4 12
Cedar Swan
Saskatoon
SK
F 7 8
Alexa Roberts
North Shore
BC
F 14 13
Charlie Shearer
Westman
MB
F 2 6
Makayla Christmann
MacEwan (CW)
AB
G 3.75 .895

Head coach Steve Kook has done another marvelous job in recruiting high-end talent for his team, and it starts from the crease out again as he has one of Manitoba's best young netminders, a solid two-way defender, and a pile of forwards who can score, but will be defensively responsible in ensuring that the Huskies are successful. Don't expect a lot of high-scoring games from the Huskies in any season, but this group builds on the momentum that the Huskies were building last season. I don't expect them to win the division next season, but I do expect them to cause a lot of headaches for opposition coaches and players during the 2026-27 season.

Trinity Western Spartans
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Mika Higgins
Edge
AB
D 6 5
Jamie Sanford
Central York
ON
G 1.78 .923
Ella Newton
Regina
SK
D 5 5
Dyllan Nelson
Fraser Valley
BC
F 14 16
Haley Waugh
Delta
BC
F 6 5
Avaya McCann
Edge
AB
F 12 8
Kamryn Reiber
SAHA
AB
F 7 24
Audrina Freeman
Okanagan
BC
F 11 16
Shae Laprade
Carleton (OUA)
ON
F 4 5
Tori Evans
Ottawa (OUA)
ON
D 1 2

The evolution of the Trinity Western Spartans continues under Peter Hay, and they seem to be finding more and more fantastic players to add to their roster. Having another solid netminder joining the team is good for everyone, and I like the additions up front. The Spartans needed a little more defence from their blue line, and the players they recruited should be solid two-way players in their times. This year's group may not put Trinity Western over the top, but they'll be very close if they aren't there. Could this be the season for TWU?

UBC Thunderbirds
Name Current Prv. Pos G/GAA A/SV%
Tayah Wallace
Barrie
ON
F 14 16
Cassie Carvalho
Winnipeg Ice
MB
F 19 15
Payton Henwood
Balmoral Hall
MB
F
13
30
Kate Chuback
Balmoral Hall
MB
F
25
16
Maggie Rauckman
Battleford
SK
F
15
14
Sophie Brecht
Battleford
SK
F
6
10
Isabel Gollop
OHA Edmonton
AB
F
13
6
Alyssa Worsley
Shawnigan Lake
BC
D
3
18
Emma Kohl
Delta
BC
F
10
22
Ella Dunham-Fox
Edmonton
AB
G
1.03
.948
Anslei Thistle
St. Albert
AB
D
2
6
Anna Rose
ECDC Memmingen
DE
F
6
15
Leila Sinclair
Toronto Leaside
ON
D
4
22
Adriana Almeida
Winnipeg Avros
MB
G
2.04
.939
Hannah Dods
Lindenwood U.
MO
F
5
2

This is what a complete rebuild looks like after half of one's team graduates. Head coach Graham Thomas is bringing in all sorts of talent who can push for roster spots immediately, and we'll likely see the same growth over the next five years as his previous core group of players did in the previous five years. This group has scoring, it has tenacity, it has goaltending, it has speed, and they'll move the puck, but it still needs some maturity when running into disciplined teams. We'll have to see how this group settles, but UBC looks like they're building another dynasty with the talent they recruited this year.

Now you might be saying, "Teebz, this is barely any insight on these players coming into these teams," and you're correct. There's a reason for me not spending a lot of time in crunching numbers and looking at who may emerge with the best class of rookies, and it starts and ends with one organization's specific actions towards me:

Some will say that I've been pretty rough on Canada West over the years, and that's likely true. I have tried over and over and over and over again to work with Canada West to help elevate the status of their conference, its member teams, and all of the coaches, players, and staff that make up their league. Not once have they responded to any interaction I've tried to have with them, so I'm done trying. If they don't want the help, so be it. I have zero obligation to continue to support Canada West women's hockey in any way, shape, or form.

To everyone who enjoyed The Rundown on a weekly basis, it will make an appearance every now and again when needed, but it's painfully obvious that Canada West thinks it's doing a fine job with its efforts in promoting women's hockey and requires no help. For all of the stastical analyses I did and for all of the fun segments I added to The Rundown, no one at Canada West sees that as beneficial or helpful to sell their product, so I'm off the case as of right now.

Unless a bunch of athletes and coaches comment down below, the nine women's hockey programs are on their own when it comes to promotion and chatter about all the good the players and coaches do and all the interesting stats that make Canada West women's hockey so good. It's not like Canada West helps them in any way, so, as the old saying goes, "You never know what you have until it's gone."

Thanks for letting me have some fun, folks. Best of luck in the future.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

The Future

If you've ever been driving along a US interstate, you may encounter a sign like the one to the left. If that seems like an odd mile marker, apparently there have been a rash of thefts of mile markers for mile 69 and mile 420 in the US. I guess some people never grow out of that teenage mentality, but today's article here on HBIC is #6899. It's not a significant number nor is tomorrow's article that will see the odometer on the blog roll over to 6900, but it will be July 1 which got me thinking about the future. There will be more to talk about tomorrow, but the demise of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC combined with some of the stuff happening in and around hockey regarding the state of the game has me truly questioning whether or not I want to continue talking about hockey.

As it stands, I'll hit post #7000 on October 9, 2026 if I continue posting once per day. The NHL season, expanded to 84 games in this upcoming season, will reportedly start on September 29, 2026. The Canada West schedule kicks off on October 9, the AHL season begins on October 2, and the ECHL kicks off on October 16. Ending the blog before most of hockey get underway this season would be the right time to pull the plug on something I've been doing for two decades.

That's the other thing: twenty years of blogging about hockey on a daily basis is a heckuva commitment. HBIC existed before Netflix, Instagram, and the iPad. People had never heard of jobs like "App Developer" or "Social Media Manager" when I started HBIC. CDs and DVDs was how most media was consumed by the public, composite sticks were just hitting the hockey market, the NHL salary cap was $44 million, and the NHL only had 30 teams in the league.

What I'm saying is that everything changes. To quote James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams, life "has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again" as time has moved forward. Things change, thing go away, and other things replace them. That's how I feel about writing about hockey - the game has changed in ways that no longer light the fire inside me.

I'm not a writer, an author, or a journalist. Some may even contest my ability to form coherent thoughts, but that's a whole other story. I never once thought I'd be doing this twenty years after starting it. I thought I'd ride the wave of an emerging trend and, like a candle, it would simply flicker to an end... except people kept reading. I guess I was doing something right? So I kept writing about hockey.

Officially, there is no decision to end the blog right now, but that October 9 date looms large. I've already made one decision about the blog that I'll announce tomorrow, but the horizon is getting closer. I'm going to enjoy Canada Day tomorrow by forgetting about hockey for a while. There's lots of stuff happening, so I'll go and focus on that and forget about the free agency madness that overtakes hockey.

Enjoy Canada Day tomorrow, folks! It's the best place on the planet!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Monday, 29 June 2026

Are We Getting Better?

It's hard for me to understand what direction the NHL's Winnipeg Jets are headed in based on what they say compared to what they do. I understand that a trade for Connor Hellebuyck hasn't materialized, but we need to be honest in looking at other aspects of the team that can be improved in order to keep their star goalie happy in his crease. One of those ways would be to have a better defensive structure overall which had me questioning why the Jets were so giddy about Jonathan Toews when David Gustafsson was better in all facets of his game. Sure, Toews has the name recognition and the long list of accolades, but that's the past. Gustafsson had been a solid foot soldier for years, toiling in whatever role the Jets wanted as he waited for his opportunity to shine in the NHL.

Thanks to the infinite wisdom of Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff, we could see how good David Gustafsson can be when he skates with the Pittsburgh Penguins next season after Cheveldayoff swapped him for AHL defenceman Jack St. Ivany. It's probably for the best when it comes to Gustafsson's career that he gets a fresh start because it seems the Jets were content to bury him on the Moose rather than giving him a real shot at making the roster next season.

To his credit, St. Ivany did have a goal and six points in eight games with the AHL Penguins last season, but he struggled hard in Pittsburgh when playing against upper-echelon talent. He's a third-pairing defender who can use his 6'4" frame to move bodies, but the Jets aren't getting better with this trade. In fact, they may have gotten worse by sending Gustafsson away in today's deal.

In an article I wrote on April 26 after the Moose eliminated Milwaukee, I had high praise for David Gustafsson's game at both ends of the ice as he was the best Moose player in the series. I wrote,
"In all three games, he was excellent on the defensive side of the puck which makes me wonder why he wasn't skating in Jonathan Toews' roster spot this season. He wins face-offs, he checks well, he doesn't cheat up the ice, and he's a leader on this Moose team through his play. He's not going to be the vocal leader in the room, but Gustafsson sees the game well and understands what makes him successful. Those are the players the Jets needed this season."
Gustafsson wasn't recalled once this season to the Jets despite his AHL successes and despite the Jets' struggles, so it seemed like the Jets once again failed to recognize the talent they had skating in their own backyard. Alongside players like Ville Heinola, Jaret Anderson-Dolan who wasn't qualified today, and Kale Clague who signed in Russia, the Moose via the Jets have seen some solid talent walk out the door already this summer. What is Chevy doing?

For a guy who ran a successful IHL club in the Chicago Wolves and a decent AHL club in Rockford, Cheveldayoff has to know the value of seeing players being promoted. After all, he had Corey Crawford and Bryan Bickell in Rockford and saw them promoted when Chicago began its resurgeance. Chicago always had a handful of good players waiting in the wings for their chances, but it's almost like he learned nothing despite how closely he worked with the IceHogs.

I had joked earlier in the week on social media that Winnipeg's mantra of "draft and develop" always had the last part of "for other teams" said quietly, and Gustafsson's trade is more proof of that. Gustafsson was taken 60th-overall in 2018, and was selected ahead of Lukas Dostal, Connor Dewar, and Joel Hofer. 17 players selected before Gustafsson have played less games in the NHL than him and he has scored more points than 25 of the 59 picks ahead of him. And yet Winnipeg trades him for a physical defender who doesn't skate all that well and doesn't defend well against good offensive players.

What exactly are the future plans for the Winnipeg Jets when it comes to keeping their franchise players in Hellebuyck, Scheifele, and Morrissey happy on this roster? Because I have no idea.

With Toews retiring this summer, it seemed like David Gustafsson was the perfect replacement for him. Of course, that would require the Jets playing Morgan Barron as the second-line centerman which they seem absolutely against at all costs, but maybe Gustafsson could have stepped in there as the responsible second-line, 200-foot centerman who could play in front of the net on the power-play like he did for the Moose. And scored clutch goals because he's good.

I wish David Gustafsson all the best as he moves to Pittsburgh. The Penguins clearly see more in him than the Jets did, and my hope is he finds a way on to the roster where his offensive game can develop further while still playing solid defensive hockey. I don't know if Kyle Dubas has a plan to keep Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Karlsson happy, but adding good players with unrealized offensive potential seems like a very low-risk move that offers all sorts of upside.

Frankly, it sounds like a philosophy Kevin Cheveldayoff should adopt.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Sunday, 28 June 2026

I'll Celebrate His Achievement

It's becoming apparently obvious that the people who run the conferences and the Canadian university hockey league simply don't care about taking easy wins. Some may point to the fact that university hockey in Canada has been over for a while and that school is out for the summer, but you'd think there would be someone at the wheel guiding the good ship U SPORTS and its conferences and member schools forward. I say this because the man pictured above in Joel Ward was named the head coach of the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights on June 25, and not one of U SPORTS, the AUS, nor UPEI have a single mention of it on their websites. For a man celebrated as the best player to come out of UPEI's program, you'd think someone would have written something about it, right? I guess that someone is me.

Joel Ward was born in North York, Ontario and grew up dreaming of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. His parents, Cecilia and Randall Ward, were immigrants from Barbados, and they fell in love with the sport as Mom and Dad cheered for all three of their hockey playing sons. Joel, the youngest, was a mainstay on North York minor hockey rosters as he grew up, but there was talent in young Joel.

Joel worked hard and earned some looks from scouts, resuling in him being drafted in the 15th round of the OHL draft by the Owen Sound Platers where he'd make a bigger name for himself. In four seasons from 1997-2001, Ward played 235 games where he scored 76 goals and 152 points including a 62-point 2000-01 season that earned him a professional shot with the WCHL's Long Beach Ice Dogs that saw him skate in eight playoff games without registering a point.

UPEI head coach Doug Currie reached out to Ward to offer him an opportunity to join the Panthers men's hockey team, but Joel was still chasing his NHL dream as he had a professional tryout with the Detroit Red Wings. He didn't crack the Wings' roster in 2001, so Ward collected his gear and headed east to Charlottetown where he landed at the University of Prince Edward Island ready to play hockey!

As Currie's recruiting was rebuilding the Panthers following a 13-loss season in 2000-01, the Panthers struggled out of the gates in 2001-02, starting the season with a 4-7-3 record. UPEI would finish with an 8-6-0 second half as they showed some improvement, but UNB would sweep them out of the playoffs in their best-of-three series. Ward, however, was on fire the entire season as he registered 13 goals and 27 points in 22 games to be named Panthers Rookie of the Year.

UPEI started the 2002-03 season slow again, as they were 1-4-1 in their first six games, but they'd finish the first half at a 6-6-3 mark as they found their groove through November. Things fell off in the second half as the Panthers struggled to a 5-8-0 record, but they'd make the playoffs as the sixth-place AUS team before being swept out of playoffs by third-ranked StFX. Ward, to his credit, continued to show his talents with an 11-goal, 26-point season, earning him the Panthers' MVP award and an AUS Second Team All-Star selection!

There were big changes in 2003-04 as Doug Currie was out as head coach, replaced by former National Champion UNB head coach Mike Kelly. The other big change was the Panthers moved back to MacLauchlan Arena on the UPEI campus after last playing there full-time in 1974-75. That change happened in January, and the Panthers played the first half at the Charlottetown Civic Centre where they finished with a 7-6-1 record as looked forward to their new home.

After moving into MacLauchlan Arena, the Panthers rattled off three wins before going winless in five. They'd finish the second half with a 6-7-1 record for fifth-place, and Dalhousie would beat them in three games in the playoffs. Ward was once again impressive in his play, scoring 14 goals and 38 points to be named as the Panthers' MVP and an AUS Second Team All-Star again. He would add a little more hardware to his trophy case, though, as he was also named the AUS Most Sportsmanlike Player! Could he add a championship?

The 2004-05 season saw the Panthers start slow once again, but they would turn that slow start into a 6-5-3 record by the December break. An 1-5-2 January was as ugly as things can get, but the Panthers found their stride with a 4-1-1 finish to the campaign at 11-11-6 and in sixth-place. Another two-game sweep at the hands of Saint Mary's ended the season, but Joel Ward had the university hockey world talking. He brought home the Panthers' MVP award for a third-straight year and was named the AUS MVP after leading the conference in scoring with 16 goals and 44 points in 28 games!

He wasn't done racking up hardware, though. Along with those honours, Ward was named a First Team All-Star, a CIS First Team All-Canadian, won the nationally-awarded R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award as the most sportmanlike player in the nation, and was named UPEI Male Athlete of the Year for 2004-05! And while the AUS Championship and CIS National Championship never materialized, it's pretty clear that Joel Ward made an impact in PEI while skating with the Panthers.

Ward would sign with the AHL's Houston Aeros for the 2005-06 season, and that would be the start of an amazing professional hockey career that saw him play for four NHL teams including Minnesota, Nashville, Washington, and San Jose. He was never traded, moving only through free agency when teams sought his services. Over his professional career, Ward played 209 AHL games, scoring 38 goals and 86 points in three seasons, and 726 NHL games, totalling 133 goals and 304 points in eleven seasons. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2006 from UPEI while skating with Houston and Minnesota.

Joel Ward is one of the most decorated players to come out of UPEI's program, and he joins the likes of Dave Cameron, Doug MacLean, and Al MacAdam as former UPEI Panthers players who have had the privilege of being a head coach at the AHL level. Again, this is an achievement that should be celebrated by a U SPORTS school and program at the very least, but the last thing posted on the UPEI men's hockey page came on March 3, 2026. The AUS could have an easy win with a story, but their most recent post was on May 27, 2026.

Ok, so maybe this is more of a social media celebration thing, right? Well, the UPEI Panthers posted nothing on Twitter and nothing on Instagram. The AUS hasn't posted anything on Twitter since January 13, and they have nothing on their Instagram. The U SPORTS hockey account last posted on Twitter on February 3, and their last Instagram post was in 2017. The main U SPORTS Twitter account has three posts about former Western player Olivia Ghosh-Swaby and flag football, but none about Joel Ward and his appointment to head coach in the AHL. Ditto for their Instagram feed. That's unfathomable.

I'm excited to see what Joel Ward can do in his AHL coaching debut. I think he has the make-up to be a solid coach as he was always a good communicator, understood systems well, and certainly can relate to players who are chasing down their dreams in the AHL. I'm also happy to give Joel Ward some celebration for this achievement as a former U SPORTS player because he's earned everything that has been bestowed upon him including this opportunity with Henderson.

It just amazes me that I'm always the only person talking about U SPORTS hockey when there are stories that could promote the programs and leagues just sitting there. There won't be any easy wins for Joel Ward next season, but I'm sure he prefers to earn every win.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Saturday, 27 June 2026

Four-Jersey Xenophobia?

The ECHL will hold their annual All-Star Game in Boise, Idaho this season with the Idaho Steelheads serving as hosts to the rest of the league. The Steelheads have been a solid team for a long time so having them host the annual event makes sense despite their remote location to most of the ECHL teams. It will be their second time holding the event after being awarded the event back in 2007, and they become just the third team to host the event twice since 1988. This year's game, however, won't be the same as the 2007 one.

The ECHL has changed its all-star game formats several times since they added the event to their calendar in 1993. The first three games saw a traditional East-vs-West matchup. The 1996 game in Tallahassee saw the league pit the Northern Conference against the Southern Conference before the 1997 game switched to the hosts playing the ECHL All-Stars. Three different formats over five years is a bit of a head-scratcher, but we're not even close to being done with format changes. The good news is that some last longer than others.

1998 was the first time we saw a Canada-vs-USA all-star game format in Lafayette, Louisiana before the league swapped the format back to the Northern Conference-Southern Conference format in 1999 in Biloxi, Mississippi. That format would last until 2004 when the league went back to East-vs-West matchup, and that was shelved in 2005 when the ECHL switched to a National Conference versus America

In 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017, the ECHL went back to the host team playing the ECHL All-Stars while there was no All-Star Game played in 2012, 2014, or 2016. I'm not sure these gap years make any sense for the ECHL, but that's how the ECHL operated for seven seasons. In 2018, they went to the four-division tournament format in Fishers, Indiana, and 2019 saw the ECHL All-Stars play "Team Fins" in Toledo, Ohio. 2020 went back to an East-vs-West format, and 2021 saw the game cancelled due to COVID as Jacksonville did not get to host.

2022 would see the game arrive in Jacksonville as the ECHL All-Stars played the Icemen before the ECHL went back to a modified four-team tournament in 2023 that saw the Norfolk Admirals split into two squads - the Cruisers and Destroyers - while the other two teams were the Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Stars. 2024 saw the ECHL All-Stars battle the Ghost Pirates in Savannah, Georgia while 2025's game was cancelled in favour of the ECHL Winter Classic played between the Kalamazoo Wings and Toledo Walleye.

2026's game in Allen, Texas saw Team Stars and Team Stripes battle in the ECHL All-Star Game where the Allen Americans' players were mixed in with the ECHL All-Stars on both sides in a unique twist. And that leads to Wednesday's announcement of the ECHL returning to the Canada-vs-USA all-star game format in Boise next season which, when you consider some of the past recent all-stars, makes very little sense when you read that "United States-born ECHL All-Stars will take on Canadian-born ECHL All-Stars over a two-day format" in Idaho.

Where does that leave Swedish-born, Fort Wayne Komets goaltender Samuel Jonsson or Russian-born, Calgary Wranglers goaltender Arsenii Sergeev or Finnish-born, Hamilton Hammers goaltender Henrik Tikkanen who all were all-stars in 2026? Three of four goalies in last season's ECHL All-Star Game were neither Canadian nor American, and none of them will be able to play in this season's event because of where they were born? How is this even being discussed?

I get that the vast majority of ECHL All-Star selections are players who were born in Canada or the US, but Russian-born Max Andreev tied for tenth in league scoring last season with Maine. Russian-born Nikita Sedov was the second-highest scoring defender in the ECHL's regular season last year, and Hungarian-born Kristof Papp had 20 goals and 46 points for Norfolk. None of those players made the All-Star Game last season, but they won't be invited this year based on the format no matter how many goals or points they score.

I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Swedish-born, Augusta Lynx forward Jonas Poling of the Southern Conference was the ECHL All-Star Game MVP in 2001 and that Russian-born, Huntington Blizzard forward Andrei Bashkirov was the ECHL All-Star Game MVP in 1997. I know they can switch formats after next season's game once again, but switching back to a format when the game is more international than ever makes zero sense from a hockey business standpoint.

The ECHL can pat themselves on the back for the jerseys shown in the lede photo all they want, but it makes no sense to exclude good players who simply were born outside North American borders. According to their release on Wednesday about the event,
"The United States jerseys for the skills competition are a dark blue base featuring a star design and lighter blue highlights with USA prominently in the middle while Canada's jerseys are a dark red base, with a maple leaf and Canada displayed in a brighter red. The shoulders of both jerseys will include the All-Star Classic logo and the participant's team logo."
The jerseys have a fun element to them for the skills competition and they'll likely get a pile of bids during the jersey auction that will follow, but, as a foreign-born player, it's hard to see just those two countries celebrated in a league that features players from numerous countries. The league, however, will double-down in the game with another set of Canada and USA jerseys that are uniquely ECHL.
"... both teams will wear retro-inspired jerseys. The United States jerseys are a cream base with red stripes and blue shoulders, with the USA letters inside a shield on a red star. Canada's jerseys are a red base with white stripes, with a red maple leaf featured inside a white shield. Similar to the skills jerseys, the shoulders of both jerseys will include the All-Star Classic logo and the participant's team logo."
I'm generally not a fan of these jerseys in most years, and it seems the Skills Competition jerseys are superior to the actual All-Star Game jerseys based on the image above. With the very limited scope of this event in pitting Canadian all-stars against American all-stars, I understand why design options may be limited. This is just another reason why the format of the 2027 ECHL All-Star Game is a mistake.

I'm not rating jerseys that exclude good players based on where they were born. If hockey is supposed to be working to be more inclusive of all people, pitching the idea of United States-born ECHL All-Stars against Canadian-born ECHL All-Stars is incredibly xenophobic. I know that likely wasn't the intention here, but that's the path the ECHL has chosen to follow for its 2027 ECHL All-Star Game in Boise.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Friday, 26 June 2026

I'll Read The Recaps

Congratualtions to the city of Buffalo and the Buffalo Sabres on hosting the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. I'm not watching the event tonight because I'm working, but let's be honest in saying that it's hardly "must-see TV". Yes, there will always be a few surprises, but the analyses of these players have been happening since they were twelve. There's nothing new to know about these players, so it's strictly up to the teams to make the selections they want.

It was no surprise when Gavin McKenna went first-overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs followed by San Jose selecting Ivar Stenberg with the second pick. Caleb Malhotra was chosen by Vancouver with the third pick and will play for his dad at some point, and Buffalo may have shocked a number of people by choosing defender Daxon Rudolph with the fourth-overall pick. It's not earth-shattering.

Rudolph's selection kicked off a run of defenders as Alberts Smits went fifth-overall to the New York Rangers, Carson Carels went to Calgary with th sixth pick, and Chase Reid "fell" to Seattle at seventh-overall. The key with all these defenceman choices is that none of them will likely step in and pull a Matthew Schaefer next season. Don't get me wrong: they're good, but I just don't see it.

There were many people hoping that the Winnipeg Jets would have the potential to choose a game-breaking centreman with the eighth pick, and Viggo Björck could turn into that player. No one will question his work ethic nor his drive to be better, and there's hope that he adds a few inches in height as a late-bloomer. Again, I don't see Björck being in Winnipeg unless he's playing with the Moose for a season or two, so the Jets need him to take big steps next season with Djurgårdens IF in order to speed up his route to the NHL club.

As a side note, can we speed this entire ordeal up? The NHL dragged its rear end through another first six picks as each team seemingly got 20 minutes to figure out who they were going to choose when they already had known for days who was going to be picked. Why does it take so bloody long for NHL teams to make selections? Why does the NHL drag this out to clawing-my-eyes-out lengths?

Anyway, the draft will continue tomorrow with Rounds Two through Seven. I may watch a little of it while I do some chores around the house, but it's not must-watch for me at any time. Give me the recap and I'll be fine. Nothing matters until these players reach the NHL.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Thursday, 25 June 2026

The Hockey Show - Episode 718

The Hockey Show, Canada's only campus-produced radio show that strictly talks hockey, is back tonight at the UMFM studios where we're one day away from the NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, New York. Since we rarely talk about mock drafts and who should be selected by which team, don't expect anything like that tonight. Instead, we have some topics that need discussing and we'll even be joined by a special guest for the show! Tonight should be fun with stories, news, and laughs all going down on The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT!

Tonight, Teebz and Jason welcome Jenna Thompson back to the show! Jenna's been itching to chat about hockey, so we'll let the former co-host back into the studio to discuss the enormous expansion price tag if an owner wants to set up an NHL franchise in Houston, USHL expansion locations and who will be backing these teams, the ECHL's New Mexico Goatheads now have an identity, and there has to be a discussion about Mike Babcock's new job with the Edmonton Oilers. It's going to be a show with some opinions, some disagreements, some emotions, and lots of chatter between our three hosts, so make sure you're ready to go tonight for The Hockey Show at 5:30pm CT on one of 101.5 FM, Channel 718 on MTS TV, or via UMFM.com!

If you live outside Winnipeg and want to listen, we have options! The UMFM website's streaming player works well if you want to listen online. We also recommend Radio Garden if you need an easy-to-use online stream. If you're more of an app person, we recommend you use the TuneIn app found on the App Store or Google Play Store.

If you have questions, you can email all show queries and comments to hockeyshow@umfm.com! Tweet me anytime with questions you may have by hitting me up at @TeebzHBIC on Twitter! I'm here to listen to you, so make your voice heard! And because both Teebz and Jason are on the butterfly app where things are less noisy, you can find Teebz here and Jason here on Bluesky!

Tonight, Teebz, Jason, and Jenna will chat about insane costs, lots of expansion, seed money, new jerseys, new coaches, morality in sports, and much more exclusively on 101.5 UMFM and on the UMFM.com web stream!

PODCAST: June 25, 2026: Episode 718

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!